Mina the Hollower is at its best when you treat it like a fast action game and a careful exploration game at the same time. The first few hours teach burrowing, Sidearms, Kears, hidden walls, Bone upgrades, and Spark Generators, then the island opens up enough that the wrong route can feel much harder than it has to be. This walkthrough gives you a practical first-run order, the main checkpoints for every major region, the upgrades worth prioritizing, and a cleanup plan for collectibles and feats.
Spoiler warning: this guide names regions, bosses, late-game locations, generator structure, several trinket and Sidearm rewards, and achievement conditions. If you only want a nudge, read the starter plan and area-order table first, then come back when you reach a new tower.
Best First-Run Plan
- Pick a starting weapon you can control, not the one that looks strongest. The Nightstar is the safest all-around first pick because its reach helps while you learn spacing. The Blaststrike Maul rewards charge timing, and Whisper and Vesper favor aggressive players who like thrown dagger setups.
- Get through Tenebrous Sea and Loner’s Landing without hoarding resources. Bones, early Sidearms, Bonestones, and your first Kear are there to teach you how the world hides rewards.
- After Ossex opens, rescue Rhene and help the Hollowers’ Guild so you can buy the map. Upgrade it when you can; the improved map tracks remaining collectibles by region, which is much more useful than trying to remember every room.
- Use Queensbury Crypt as your first generator route. It is combat-heavy, teaches dungeon logic clearly, and can reward you with Proto Spark, one of the most forgiving trinkets in the game.
- Do not rush Bone Beach just because the game points you toward it. Several references agree that Bone Beach and Sandfalls are rougher than the early generator areas. Build attack, defense, vial capacity, trinket slots, and movement tools first.
- Fund the train as early as you can afford it. The full 10,000 Bone investment unlocks station travel and is eventually useful for story movement, not just convenience.
- Keep separate saves for completion cleanup, challenge feats, and New Game Plus. A normal 100% save is not the same thing as a Below Zero, Off the Grid, Speed Runner, or no-shop run.
Recommended Area Order
Mina gives you freedom after the opening, and the first several Spark Generators can be approached in more than one order. The route below is a safe first-run order that matches the broad difficulty ramp from the readable references: Queensbury first, then the swamp/water route, then the wind and lightning route, then the late mountain and beach regions. Some detailed walkthrough tables place Septemburg before Nox’s Bayou; that order is also workable. If you are struggling, use the table as a difficulty guide rather than a law.
| Order | Region | Main Goal | Important Prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenebrous Sea, Loner’s Landing, Ossex | Learn burrow movement, pick your weapon, survive the Nether Kraken, reach Ossex, and unlock your first city routes. | Experiment with Sidearms and break suspicious objects. Do not worry about perfect collection yet. |
| 2 | Southern Outskirts and Eastern Heath | Clear the first serious overworld routes, rescue Rhene, get the map path going, and reach Mourner’s Mile. | Look for Primed Vial Pouch south of Ossex and keep Deflector Parasol once you find it. |
| 3 | Queensbury Crypt | Repair your first Spark Generator and clear the Duchess route. | Bring healing, use the Underlab often, and do the Duke route if you want Proto Spark. |
| 4 | Backwaters and Nox’s Bayou | Learn water burrow jumps, deal with swamp traversal, and clear the Nox generator route. | Equip mobility and safety trinkets. If water movement frustrates you, switch to the Western Wilds/Kindlewood path first. |
| 5 | Western Wilds, Kindlewood, Septemburg | Cross the lava and autumn routes, survive wind and lightning hazards, rescue trapped children, and finish the Carving Man route. | Save before major Septemburg pushes. If a pursuer appears before the finale, keep moving instead of trying to brute-force the encounter. |
| 6 | Coltrane Peak | Use the train route, solve ice, glass, and rail puzzles, and clear the mountain generator. | Fund the train first. Bring enough Bone upgrades that icy mistakes do not become boss-wall misery. |
| 7 | Sandfalls and Bone Beach | Handle darkness, bomb puzzles, mining routes, open pits, and the Beached Creature path. | Upgrade attack and defense, refresh your cloak/trinket loadout, and keep a save before the beach dungeon. |
| 8 | Astral Orrery and Radiant Manor | Use mirror progression, clear the final hub routes, then finish the manor/endgame sequence. | Do your collectathon sweep first. Keep a pre-finale save for feats and missed upgrades. |
Starter Mechanics That Matter
Burrowing Is Your Dodge and Your Key
Burrowing is not just a novelty move. Use it to pass under low barriers, slip beneath hazards, dodge attacks, launch burrow jumps, and test suspicious edges. If a fence or wall does not fully meet the floor, try burrowing under it. If Mina darkens or sweats near a ledge, you are close to the edge but may still have the right spacing for a jump or burrow jump.
Bone Up With a Plan
Bones can be spent on Attack, Defense, Sidearms, and Bonestones. For a first clear, put early levels into Attack and Defense before spreading too thin. Sidearm power becomes more valuable once you are using Sidearms intentionally, but your main weapon and survivability carry most early fights. Bonestones are best when you are about to risk a dangerous route and do not want to lose a large pile of Bones on death.
Sidearms Are Also Puzzle Tools
Many Sidearms are placed near puzzles that want their specific behavior. The Deflector Parasol helps with projectiles and longer gaps, the Volt Hatchet can hit objects at angles, the Gyro Dagger can cut through space and return, and darkness tools matter in caves. When you pick up a new Sidearm, stop and scan the room before leaving. The puzzle is often nearby.
Trinkets Define Your Comfort Zone
Trinkets are Mina’s flexible build layer. Proto Spark gives a revive, Primed Vial Pouch adds early healing room, Stolenoid makes pickups easier to collect, and movement trinkets can turn awkward traversal into manageable jumps. Upgrade your Trinket Bag when possible, because two or three useful trinkets together can be stronger than one flashy effect alone.
Prologue: Tenebrous Sea
The prologue starts with Mina receiving the call to Tenebrous Isle and being thrown into danger on the voyage. Pick your starting weapon, learn basic attacks, use burrowing to move through low spaces, and do not panic during the Nether Kraken sequence. The fight is meant to teach spacing and movement more than raw damage.
After the wreck, collect the early Plasma Vials and follow the route toward Loner’s Landing. The opening areas are generous with tutorial secrets, so hit cracked objects, test dirt patches, and practice throwing objects before the game expects you to do it under pressure.
Loner’s Landing and the Boardwalk
Loner’s Landing is where Mina’s rhythm starts to form: break containers, gather Bones, burrow under low terrain, use Kears on locks, and grab early Sidearms. The Volt Hatchet and Gyro Dagger are worth learning because they stay useful in both combat and feat cleanup. Bonestones in this stretch are also valuable because they let you experiment without losing every Bone on a bad death.
The Boardwalk leads toward the Southern Outskirts and the first real mini-boss pressure. Hulk Trooper is simple compared with later fights, but the lesson is important: stay above or below wide melee lines, bait the leap or slam, then punish after the animation. If you keep attacking from the front, Mina’s short reach will get you hit.
First Ossex Visit
Ossex is the base you will revisit all game. Talk to Lionel, inspect the Hollowers’ Guild, check shops, learn where the blacksmith and trinket options are, and pay attention to the train stations and newspaper stands. The Tenebrous Times gives soft hints about where the island expects you to go next, and its advice can change as you repair generators.
Your early priorities in and around Ossex are:
| Priority | Why It Helps | When To Do It |
|---|---|---|
| Rescue Rhene | Moves the Hollowers’ Guild forward and opens the path toward map support. | During the Southern Outskirts/Rebel Barracks route. |
| Buy the map | Shows generator directions and can later track remaining collectibles by region. | As soon as the guild lets you purchase it. |
| Fund the train | Unlocks station travel after the full 10,000 Bone donation and supports later progression. | Start early, finish before Coltrane Peak pressure makes travel annoying. |
| Upgrade attack and defense | Reduces the pain of open-route difficulty spikes. | Before choosing a second or third generator. |
| Watch for vendors and beggars | Some NPCs sell important trinkets or give useful route clues. | Every time Ossex changes after a tower. |
Southern Outskirts
Southern Outskirts connects Ossex to the first serious exploration loops. After leaving town, search rooflines, basements, breakable trunks, and side rooms. One of the best early pickups is Primed Vial Pouch, found by entering a house south of Ossex through the roof/chimney route. Two extra vials are a huge safety net in the early towers.
The Cave Network teaches balloon traversal and rewards patience. Move balloons into position, then use them quickly before they vanish. Deflector Parasol is a priority pickup because it blocks projectiles, slows falls, and helps with awkward gaps. Keep it in mind whenever a later room seems to ask for more horizontal reach than a normal jump provides.
Rebel Barracks and Rhene
The Rebel Barracks mini-dungeon is a good test of escort logic. Open the Kear gate, give up the required vial at the yellow lock, and clear the guard rooms carefully. Rhene cannot follow every jump the way Mina can, so open paths, press buttons, and return to touch her when she gets left behind. She can also help by producing useful items during the escape, so do not treat the escort as dead weight.
Once Rhene is safe, return to the Hollowers’ Guild and check what changed. This is one of the points where the game quietly opens up better quality-of-life tools, including map progress.
Eastern Heath and Mourner’s Mile
Eastern Heath is the natural bridge between early Ossex exploration and Queensbury Crypt. Expect open fields, waterfall paths, optional caves, hidden money, Kear locks, and side routes that are easier to clean later. If you find a vendor or a hidden trinket route, note it even if you cannot afford everything yet.
Mourner’s Mile leans harder into danger: spear enemies, cemetery routes, shallow tombs, and reward vaults. The Spike Vault and nearby optional rooms are worth clearing because vial and trinket upgrades matter more than raw Bones once you start tackling generators. If you get a new movement tool here, test it against ledges and pits before pushing into the Crypt.
Queensbury Crypt Walkthrough
Queensbury Crypt is the best first generator for most players. It is dangerous, but its challenges are readable: cracked floors, arrow tiles, statue-head puzzles, necromancer-style revivals, and boss rooms that reward calm movement. It also contains several rewards that stay useful long after the dungeon ends.
Old Graveyard and Foyer
Use the Underlab at the entrance, then move through the graveyard slowly. Cracked floors break when crossed, tombstones can hide Bones or paths, and some enemies move faster than early foes. Search the side area for Mist Jar; phasing through enemies while restoring health/plasma is excellent for dagger or aggressive builds.
In the Foyer, look for hidden walls and outside chest connections. This is where Mina the Hollower starts asking you to think in loops: see a chest outside, enter a nearby building, break an interior wall, and claim it from the other side.
Statue Heads and Belvedere
The statue-head section is the core Crypt puzzle. Carry heads back to statues while avoiding the ghostly chase effect, use moving platforms carefully, and clear revival enemies first so they cannot keep rebuilding the room around you. Belvedere appears in this stretch and sells Stolenoid, a trinket worth buying because it pulls pickups toward you and makes Bone collection much smoother.
Midden, the Duke, and the Duchess
Midden is an optional-feeling but important encounter chain. If you keep following the route and confront him in the vial-gated chamber, you can earn Fly Bait. The Duke route asks you to escort him through hazards and eventually make a choice at his coffin. Closing it rewards Proto Spark, which lets you survive death once. For a first playthrough, Proto Spark is so useful that it is hard to pass up.
The Duchess fight has two phases. In phase one, attack from above or below after jumps and slow swings. In phase two, stay mobile and do not overcommit when the tentacle attacks start tracking where you stood. Mist Jar can save bad spacing, but do not rely on it so much that you ignore boss patterns. After the tower is repaired, return to Ossex and check for new routes, shops, and map information before sprinting to the next region.
Backwaters and Nox’s Bayou
Backwaters and Nox’s Bayou are a movement check. The enemies are not wildly above Queensbury in raw difficulty, but deep water, moving platforms, thorn hazards, and underwater burrow jumps make the region feel harsher. If you bounce off this route, it is reasonable to go toward Western Wilds and Kindlewood first, then return with more upgrades.
In Backwaters, learn the difference between safe shallows and deadly deep water. Burrow jumps that start underwater are required often, and the game expects you to repeat that rhythm under pressure. Spark Catcher, Evasion Powder, and swamp shop rewards can help, but movement consistency is the real upgrade.
Nox’s Bayou revolves around water level changes, swamp rooms, bomb-throwing enemies, and boss pressure. Keep a Sidearm that helps at range, do not heal in the middle of open water, and watch for routes that only become safe after raising or lowering the water. If you have trouble with the generator boss, spend Bones on Attack/Defense instead of grinding Sidearms you rarely use.
Western Wilds, Kindlewood, and Septemburg
The Western Wilds route introduces heavier enemies, lava-adjacent routes, the Molten Foundry, and secrets that may not fully resolve until later. Do not assume every locked or unreachable reward is for now. Mark it mentally or let the upgraded map handle your return.
Kindlewood raises the puzzle pressure with fire, burrow routes, town loops, and the Madd House path. Vendors in and around this region sell several trinkets that can change how safe the next tower feels, so shop before you commit to the Septemburg push.
Septemburg Warning
Septemburg is a wind, lightning, and pursuit dungeon. The Carving Man is not a normal early-room enemy; if he appears before the intended fight, move through the route and solve the dungeon instead of trying to stand your ground. The most important missable-style advice here is to save the trapped children. Explore thoroughly and rescue them before finishing the region. The sources strongly treat this as a consequence-heavy route, so do not leave it for “later” unless you have a save to return to.
Coltrane Peak
Coltrane Peak is train-linked and should wait until you have funded travel and improved your build. The mountain uses ice floors, glass floors, rail movement, and frozen routes to test control more than combat alone. If you have been ignoring defense or vial capacity, this is where small mistakes start costing a lot.
The climb toward Locomotress Agnes is long enough that you should enter with a clean loadout: a familiar main weapon, one Sidearm for range or safety, and trinkets that help movement or survival. Do not equip a trinket only because it is new. Coltrane rewards boring reliability.
Sandfalls and Bone Beach
Sandfalls starts the late-game difficulty jump. Expect darkness, bomb movement, mining routes, and precision puzzle rooms. If the path seems unfair, check whether a Sidearm near the room is meant to solve the problem. The Dynamo Lantern matters in dark areas, and bomb rooms often care more about timing than speed.
Bone Beach is rich in Bones and rewards, but it is also one of the more punishing regions before the finale. The Beached Creature route, open pits, geyser-like movement, deep water, and the Mined Mind boss all hit harder if you arrive underbuilt. Use the mirror partway through the route to restock or leave if needed. There is no shame in backing out, upgrading, and returning.
Astral Orrery and Radiant Manor
The Astral Orrery is reached through mirrors and becomes a late-game hub with multiple colored routes. If you have been interacting with mirrors throughout the game, this transition is much less confusing. If not, revisit known mirror locations before assuming you are stuck. The Orrery expects a broad toolkit: movement trinkets, sidearm knowledge, and enough upgrades to survive unfamiliar enemies.
Radiant Manor is the final estate push. Treat it as a point-of-no-return style region even if the game still lets you leave: repair your loadout, finish collection sweeps, check shops, and keep a manual save before committing. Several sources describe Radiant Manor as a chain of trapped halls, rooftop/greenhouse-style routes, and back-to-back boss pressure, so do not enter with a novelty loadout you have not practiced.
Collectathon Cleanup Order
Do the major collectathon after your movement kit is broad but before the final manor/endgame push. The readable walkthrough and collectathon references converge on the idea that some rewards are easier or only practical after later trinkets and Sidearms. Use your upgraded map to confirm counts by region, then sweep in this order:
| Cleanup Step | Region | What To Look For |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Outskirts | Roof entries, Cave Network leftovers, Rebel Barracks side rooms, Primed Vial Pouch checks. |
| 2 | Western Wilds | Molten Foundry rewards, Kear gates, snowball-related return routes, old-man side objectives. |
| 3 | Kindlewood | Town holes, vendor trinkets, Madd House paths, Wallower’s Gauntlets and late movement checks. |
| 4 | Septemburg | Child rescue leftovers, storm routes, Carving Man area rewards, rotten barn style side rooms. |
| 5 | Eastern Heath and Mourner’s Mile | Spike Vault, shallow tombs, long-water Sidearm feat rooms, hidden grass/flower rewards. |
| 6 | Queensbury Crypt | Statue-head hall extras, Duke/Midden rewards, Proto Spark, Stolenoid, Fly Bait, hidden tomb paths. |
| 7 | Backwaters and Nox’s Bayou | Water-level items, frog/escort side quests, swamp shop trinkets, Big Lagoon paths. |
| 8 | Loner’s Landing | Early Bonestones, Kears, Boardwalk sidearm checks, prologue route misses. |
| 9 | Sandfalls and Bone Beach | Ring Dive, bomb mini-games, Bone-rich caves, fishing board trophies, shore generator side paths. |
| 10 | Ossex | Trinket shop purchases, train stations, Pawnty’s Exchange, Bowery clues, blacksmith weapon purchases. |
Priority Upgrades and Items
| Item or Upgrade | Why You Want It | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Map and map upgrade | Points you toward generators and later tracks remaining collectibles by area. | Buy through the Hollowers’ Guild path after helping Rhene. |
| Primed Vial Pouch | Adds two vials early, making bosses and long routes much safer. | Found by using the roof/chimney route in the house south of Ossex. |
| Proto Spark | Revives you once, which is powerful for first clears and risky bosses. | Rewarded through the Duke route in Queensbury Crypt. |
| Deflector Parasol | Blocks projectiles, floats after jumps, and solves traversal problems. | Found in the Southern Outskirts/Cave Network stretch. |
| Mist Jar | Lets Mina phase through enemies and can restore health/plasma. | Found in Queensbury Crypt’s graveyard route. |
| Stolenoid | Pulls pickups toward you and reduces the risk of losing Bones to hazards. | Sold by Belvedere in Queensbury Crypt. |
| Trinket Bag upgrades | Let you combine survival, movement, and economy effects instead of choosing one. | Prioritize these before hard regions if you have the funds. |
| Train funding | Unlocks fast travel between train stations and supports later story routes. | Total cost is 10,000 Bones. Start donating before you desperately need it. |
Feats and Achievement Cleanup
Steam lists 50 achievements for Mina the Hollower. A normal completion save will cover many story and collection feats, but full achievement cleanup is not a single simple postgame sweep. Community feat guides consistently frame it as multiple planned runs or save branches: a 100% file, a Below Zero file, a New Game Plus/challenge file, and boss-specific setup files.
| Feat Type | Examples | Best Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Story and progress | Thorne Beater, Sparks of Genius, Hollow Victory | Earn naturally by clearing the game and repairing Spark Generators. |
| Collection | Fully Equipped, Fishin’ Reactor, Minigame Master | Use the upgraded map, finish regional cleanup, then handle fishing/race/ring challenges separately. |
| Sidearm trickshots | Mist Glide, Bashful, Pitfall Parasol, Four-Point Hatchet, Fogburst | Use a completed file where you can quickly grab Sidearms and set up groups of enemies or training targets. |
| Weapon feats | Hammerama, Tip Tapper, Sniper Dagger, Perfect Guard | Plan around early bosses, projectile traps, or training-room style setups. Do not try to force them during a blind story clear. |
| Challenge clears | Below Zero, Off the Grid, Speed Runner, Bone Pincher, Bone Keeper, Hardifier, Weirdifier | Use separate files. These conditions conflict with casual exploration and 100% collection habits. |
| Final meta feat | Feat Accompli | Leave this for last; it requires every other feat. |
Below Zero Planning
Below Zero is the strictest cleanup target because it asks you to finish with -1% Collection or less. Community references treat weapons, trinkets, Bonestones, upgrades, Kears, and some Sidearms as completion risks. Do not open chests casually, do not talk to reward NPCs casually, and do not route like a 100% run. Bone-up levels are safer than collectible pickups, but you still need a plan for Pawnty’s Exchange before the final boss.
New Game Plus Challenge Stack
Several clear-condition feats can be stacked on a New Game Plus file if you prepare before starting: Speed Runner, Weirdifier, Hardifier, Off the Grid, Bone Keeper, and Bone Pincher are all route-planning achievements. Equip the weapon and trinkets you want before copying into NG+ if your chosen conditions will lock you out of Underlabs. Then play for clean generator order, skip optional fights, and take Bone upgrades only when they support speed and survival.
Boss-Specific Feats
Boss feats are cleaner on copied saves. Hammerama can be done on an early boss with charged Blaststrike Maul attacks. Sniper Dagger needs a low-health boss and a full-screen thrown dagger finish. Joule Junkie requires 1 HP and Sidearm-only damage with Joule Syringe. Untouchable asks for a no-hit Spark Generator boss; pick the boss you personally read best instead of the one a guide claims is easiest.
Common Mistakes
- Doing Bone Beach too early: the rewards are tempting, but the route is punishing without attack, defense, vial, cloak, and movement comfort.
- Ignoring the map upgrade: manual memory is fine for the first few secrets, then terrible for a 100% sweep.
- Healing in open danger: Mina’s vial animation takes time. Move away first or use terrain to block the next hit.
- Equipping novelty trinkets before bosses: if a trinket does not directly improve survival, damage, movement, or your current feat, leave it for cleanup.
- Missing Septemburg rescues: save the trapped children before finishing the region.
- Trying achievement conditions on your blind file: Below Zero, Off the Grid, no-shop, and speed goals are cleaner when routed from the start.
- Forgetting Sidearm locations: Sidearms are static. If you die and lose one before buying retention upgrades, go back to the room where you found it.
Quick Reference Route
- Finish Tenebrous Sea and Loner’s Landing. Learn your weapon, burrow movement, Kears, and early Sidearms.
- Reach Ossex, talk to key NPCs, and start the Hollowers’ Guild path.
- Clear Southern Outskirts, rescue Rhene, find Primed Vial Pouch, and buy/upgrade the map.
- Move through Eastern Heath and Mourner’s Mile toward Queensbury Crypt.
- Clear Queensbury Crypt first, taking Mist Jar, Stolenoid, Fly Bait, and Proto Spark if possible.
- Choose Backwaters/Nox’s Bayou or Western Wilds/Kindlewood/Septemburg next depending on what feels harder to you.
- Fund the train before Coltrane Peak becomes your next major route.
- Delay Sandfalls and Bone Beach until your build feels durable.
- Track mirrors and use them for Astral Orrery progression.
- Do collectathon cleanup before the final Radiant Manor/endgame push.
- Use separate saves for Below Zero, NG+ stacked challenge feats, and boss-specific feats.
Sources and Credits
Official metadata and screenshots were verified through the Mina the Hollower Steam page and Yacht Club Games. Route order, area checkpoints, collectibles, and feat planning were cross-checked against readable community walkthrough and guide references. No community guide images are used in this article.